Oregon Hospitals Mean...

Policy and Advocacy

Hospitals need advocates now more than ever​ | OAHHS represents Oregon hospitals at the state and federal levels to advance sound health policies and to ensure that lawmakers understand how the decisions they make impact the health of Oregonians.

Patient Safety & Quality

Making Oregon the safest state to receive health care. | Oregon hospitals come together through OAHHS to reduce harm, share best practices, measure improvement and, ultimately, make Oregon the safest place to receive healthcare in the nation.

The latest news

​When it comes to health care, ignorance is not bliss. | It’s important that all of our members stay as up-to-date as possible with the latest breaking health care news, legislative issues and patient safety information. The health of our patients, our hospitals and our communities depend on it.

Publications

Resources

November Hospital View E-Newsletter

HHS Announces Final Rule on 340B Ceiling Prices is Effective January 1

The Department of Health and Human Services issued its final ruling on prescription drug ceiling prices and monetary penalties for 340B hospitals. The 340B Drug Pricing Program will take effect January 1, 2019.
The American Hospital Association issued a statement in support of the ruling, which followed a lawsuit brought by the AHA. OAHHS was one of the organizations in favor of the lawsuit, and filed an amicus brief in a show of support. The collective effort urged prompt implementation of the program with the goal of bringing fair pricing and transparency to the process. HHS had previously announced a July 1 implementation date.
"We continue to strongly urge HHS to make available online drug pricing information for 340B hospitals as this rule requires as soon as possible after January 1, and no later than April 1, so that instances of drug company overcharging can be uncovered and penalties enforced," said AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels.
HHS has said in the past that it needed more time to consider additional rulemaking to replace the Obama-era regulation with one drafted by the Trump administration.
Agency leaders had a change of heart, as evidenced by this decision. "HHS does not believe that any further delay is necessary and is changing the effective date," according to a statement from HHS.
In addition, HHS noted that the Jan. 1 start date will not interfere with any subsequent rulemaking it may release on 340B ceiling prices.

Governor Brown Issues Recommended Budget for 2019-2021

Governor Kate Brown released her recommended budget for the 2019-2021 biennium. The budget outlines her policy priorities and direction. It offers insight into the governor's views on health care and hospitals, particularly regarding the Medicaid budget. Here are some of the highlights of her proposals, as outlined by OAHHS' Andy Van Pelt:

Medicaid:
• Increases the reimbursable hospital provider tax to a full 6 percent producing $98M in new state funds
- Eliminates the .07 percent true tax on DRG hospitals that sunsets in 2019
• Increases the Health Insurance, Managed Care and Stop-Loss Assessment to 2 percent. This generates $410M in new state funds, with $90M being allocated to the Oregon Reinsurance Program in the individual market
• Creating a Subsidized Employer Assessment to generate $119.5M in new state funds. This new assessment is on employers who do not provide health care coverage to low-income workers, or whose workers cannot afford the coverage they are offered.
• Increasing the tobacco tax by $2/pack (smokeless tobacco, cigars, vapes and e-cigarettes included)
- December 2020 start date of the increased tobacco tax would bring in $95M in new state funds and $346M in the 2021-2023 biennium.

Key Takeaways
• Hospitals have been part of a year-long process to seek and identify sustainable solutions for Medicaid funding. The Governor’s budget represents the culmination of that process.
• We support the outcome which represents a very positive step forward towards a long-term solution that puts Medicaid on a stable funding platform.
• We now will turn to working with the Legislature to pass this package during the Legislative Session.

As always, it is now up to the Legislature to pass the final budget. We will keep you apprised with regular updates during the upcoming session.

We Did It! Thank You for Voting YES on Measure 102

OAHHS was an active supporter of Measure 102. We believe that housing is health, and that creating more affordable housing across our state is one of Oregon's top priorities.
So we were happy with the election results. Measure 102 passed by nearly 14 percentage points.
The measure will enable local governments to partner with private and nonprofit partners to build more affordable housing with bonds.
Research has shown the connection between health and safe, stable, and affordable housing.
We thank all of you who voted yes on Measure 102.

Hospital Charity Care Spending on the Rise Again

Oregon’s community hospitals are again spending more on charity care, despite having one of the lowest rates of uninsured residents in the country, according to financial performance reporting by Apprise Health Insights from the third quarter of 2018. Despite the increase, median operating margins held steady from the same period last year.

“While the notion was that charity care would be basically eliminated as result of the ACA, and there was a dramatic drop, we’re seeing it increase again,” said Andy Van Pelt, executive vice president at the hospital association. “That would imply the coverage isn’t covering the cost of health care.”

The charity care numbers stand in contrast to the widely held view that charity care has been essentially eliminated in Oregon due to the Affordable Care Act. While charity care costs are below pre-ACA levels, they are on an upward trend as many patients continue to need free or reduced-price services.

Save the Dates: Oregon Hospital Meetings in 2018

Below are some of the upcoming meetings and events that are scheduled for this year. More information about each of these will be sent out as the events approach.

A View from Capitol Hill

Updated price data now available on Oregon Hospital Guide

Patients can now check the latest prices by hospital for the most common inpatient and outpatient procedures. The new data is now available on the Oregon Hospital Guide website under "procedure costs."

OAHHS leaders say the information, based on state reporting, shows member hospitals' commitment to transparency. "Hospitals are dedicated to the concept that every Oregonian, whether insured, uninsured, or out of network, should be empowered with the financial information they need to make better health care decisions for themselves and their families," said Andy Davidson, president and CEO.

The new cost data shows the media amount paid by commercial insurers, including deductibles and co-pays for members. The website also shows the statewide media price per procedure.

Hospital Spotlight

Blue Mountain Hospital named Cam Marlowe as Chief Financial Officer.

Good Shepherd Hermiston announced the arrival of midwife Catherine O'Brien to the Women's Center. She is a Doctor of Nurse Practice, and says she has always wanted to serve the women of a rural community.

Grande Ronde Hospital is celebrating National Hospice Care Month, joining programs across the country in raising awareness about the importance of hospice and palliative care.

Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center has opened Hybrid 1, a procedure room combining operating and cath lab. It's an effort to care for patients on-site during a construction period at the hospital.

Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center dedicated a garden November 9 to celebrate the compassionate hands and hearts of the Emergency Department team. Staff planted a camellia, which blooms in winter to remind patients and families of beauty during seasons of difficulty.

Janet Reeder, chief nursing executive at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center, has added a new role. Reeder now holds the newly created position of vice president, patient care services.

Representatives of Legacy Health received a national evidence based design award for the therapeutic garden at Legacy Emanuel. Research has shown the garden's stress relieving benefits for both patients and staff.

Ben Farber, chief nursing officer at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart, was honored for career achievement and community service with the 20 Under 40 award from the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce.

Tim Herrmann, chief administrative officer at PeaceHealth Cottage Grove, once again made the Becker's Hospital Review list of CEO's to Know. The list recognizes leaders with strong records on safety and quality.

At Providence Cancer Institute at Providence Portland, checkpoint inhibitors are showing promise as a potential new line of treatment for people with liver cancer. The Earle A. Chiles Research Institute currently has six studies open to liver cancer patients, including two new studies investigating checkpoint inhibitors.

A Salem Health ED nurse was honored with a Patriot Award from the Army National Guard and Reserve. Megan King serves as a nurse in the Reserve's 396th Combat Support Hospital. The Patriot Award reflects employer efforts to support citizen soldiers by offering flexible schedules, time off prior and during deployment, and leaves of absence if needed.

Doctors and staff at Salem Health ran a mass casualty exercise on November 8, just hours after the tragic shooting at a bar in southern California. Officials had planned the exercise long before, and were able to field test new emergency response practices.

Samaritan Lebanon has been included in the SHARe food box program, which began last year at Samaritan Albany. The program provides food boxes to patients leaving the hospital who need greater access to nutritious foods.

Samaritan Lebanon's longtime manager of respiratory therapy retired in October. Randy Cox served patients for 40 years, after having studied at the then newly opened respiratory therapy program at Lane Community College. He will be succeeded by Chris Rose.

Sky Lakes Medical Center has been recognized by two national rural health organizations for overall excellence in the "Outcomes" category, reflecting top quartile performance among that nation's rural hospitals.

Health Grades placed Sky Lakes Medical Center in the top 10 percent in the nation for pulmonary care, awarding the medical center a five-star rating. Sky Lakes has also received five star ratings for COPD and pneumonia care.

Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center welcomes Alan Dow as its interim CEO. Alan is a longtime associate of the hospital, having worked as its CFO for several years as well as previous tenures as interim CEO. Alan has extensive experience in administration at critical access hospitals.

Does your hospital have any noteworthy news to share? Contact Dave Northfield at dnorthfield@oahhs.org and we'll include you in the next issue of Hospital View.

OAHHS Public Affairs

Philip Schmidt​Associate Vice President of Public Affairs
503-479-6020
​pschmidt@oahhs.org